Getting the details right without losing sight of the big picture

Chris Weiler is a Mechanical Engineer specializing in new product development. He is skilled in working with Industrial Designers, interpreting their design intent and incorporating it into the finished product.

With 11 years of product design experience backed up by 9 years as a plastic injection mold designer and experience with a wide range of products, Chris can help your project meet its financial, scheduling and quality goals.

A successful design isn't just about good engineering, it's about the whole project. Staying within the client's budget, tolerance for risk and schedule. Keeping the industrial designer's vision through to the end product. Knowing when a decision will compromise the end user's experience or a small addition could enhance it. This is a sampling of projects that I have been privileged to be a part of. I'd be happy to meet with you and show you more images and parts in person. Just contact me to arrange a visit.

DeLorme inReach

The DeLorme inReach is a two way satellite communications device that interfaces with DeLorme's handheld GPS navigator or your Android phone. The device can send your location, text messages to your base camp while hiking far beyond the reach of a cell tower. It will even allow you to call for rescue services in case of an emergency.

Fast Development - The client needed this product to be ready for market in time for the Fall/Christmas season. It was developed in 4 months.

Rugged Construction - The product needed to handle being dropped on rocks, submerged in streams as well as temperature extremes without affecting performance. Simple seals and a minimum of parts resulted in a robust product.

Voxtec SQ.410

The Voxtec SQ.410 is a military grade voice translator. Used by field troops, police, fire departments and more, it provides near seamless communication in time sensitive situations. It uses voice recognition and a vast language database to provide clear communication when a human translator is not available. It also has the ability to pre-program phrases to be broadcast when the front button is pushed. Designed to attach to Molle vests using special holster, it fits right into modern tactical gear.

Built to take the heat:Rated at IP-54 to withstand water and dust incursion and a rugged design to take the rough and tumble world of field operations. But also provides clear sound quality to the user.

Eliminate parts through 2-shot molding:The front and rear faces of the housing are overmolded with rubberized plastic to provide cushioning against damage when dropped, and also seal the housing from water and dust.

Heath DP-IR

The Heath DP-IR is a mobile chemistry lab used to analyze gasses. Utility companies use them to detect methane gasses which come from leaks from storage tanks, buried lines and meters on houses.

Durable - The product needed to stand up to the abuse of the end user. We were given reports of workers using the product as a wheel block and throwing the units into the truck bed. If the units didn't work, the employee didn't have to check for leaks, but still got paid. This meant that the plastic housing needed to be strong and durable. A PC-ABS housing with a healthy wall thickness and rubber bumpers to cushion impacts solved the problem.

Quick Disconnect - The testing nozzle needed to be attached and removed quickly and easily and provide a airtight seal. A custom quarter-turn part with built-in o-ring seal (which was easily replaced with an off-the shelf part) was the solution. The quarter-turn part was designed to minimize the number of actions in the mold and keep tooling costs down.

EndurID Patient Wristband Lock

The EndurID Patient Wristband Lock is used for patients who, through mental illness, incarceration or other issues, do not wish to wear their id wristbands while receiving medical treatment. The lock, using two identical parts, snaps over the wristband and prevents removal of the wristband without scissors or other tools.

Easy to Install - The lock needed to be able to be installed by a nurse with one hand on a struggling patient. One clasp can be tucked under the wristband and it will stay there while the 2nd is snapped into place with a simple squeezing motion.

Year: 2011

Cadec MII Touchscreen Interface

The Cadec MII Touchscreen Interface is part of a fleet management system for trucking companies. The system provides GPS tracking, automates driver logs for the DOT and warns the driver of impending violations. The unit also can help provide data that can be used to reduce fuel consumption by drivers.

Capacitive Touch Interface - Under the label at the bottom of the screen, a capacitive touch keypad needed to be placed with a minimal wall thickness of plastic above it. The addition of a snap-in bezel solved this problem while also fulfilling the industrial designer's vision. This also allowed the installation of a water-resistant foam screen over the speakers.

Flexibility - The final touchscreen display still hadn't been chosen, so a mounting bracket was designed. We coordinated with the tool maker to make the tooling flexible enough to accomodate different displays.

Sequiam BioVault 2.0

The Sequiam BioVault 2.0 is a secure storage device that is opened by a fingerprint scanner. The cast aluminum housing is durable and burglar proof short of a saws-all. Designed to store hand guns, jewelry or documents, access is quick and easy.

Low Profile - Designed to be used in a cramped space such as a car trunk or cabinet in your house, the doors needed to have a small profile when open. The unique mechanism retracts the doors into the sides of the housing using springs, solonoids and oil dampening gear racks. Cam locks prevent the mechanism from being overcome while the doors are closed.